Run an interview that produces checkable answers
A management interview should leave the board with identifiable people, useful work samples, and questions it can verify. Send candidates the same community brief and agenda in advance. Explain the association's location, property type, key facilities, current operating problems, and desired service scope. Ask the proposed day-to-day contact to attend, not only the person presenting the proposal.
An illustrative sixty-minute agenda
- Minutes 0–10: team and assignment. Ask who will receive routine requests, who covers absences, and which duties remain with the board. Have the team describe its understanding of the community's two most important needs.
- Minutes 10–25: one operating example. Give a factual scenario such as a repeated maintenance complaint. Ask who takes the next action, what information is missing, and when a board decision becomes necessary. Let the candidate identify limits rather than rewarding unsupported certainty.
- Minutes 25–35: work samples. Review an anonymized report, open-item register, or meeting preparation example. Ask the proposed staff member to explain how a director would find an overdue decision. Do not request another community's confidential records.
- Minutes 35–45: implementation. Ask what the board must supply at the start, which dependencies could delay service, and how open work would be accepted. Identify who would coordinate those steps.
- Minutes 45–55: boundaries and costs. Review the most important exclusions, extra-service triggers, and unresolved assumptions. Ask for written follow-up where the answer depends on the final agreement.
- Minutes 55–60: recap. Read back open questions, responsible contacts, and the requested response date. Confirm which references can discuss comparable work.
Ask references about events, not adjectives
With appropriate permission and contact arrangements, speak to references whose properties or service assignments resemble yours. Establish when they worked with the provider, which services they received, and whether the staff being proposed to you were involved. A satisfied reference for a different team or service model provides context, but it does not prove an equivalent result.
Use prompts such as: “Describe a request that did not go smoothly. Who recognized the problem, and what happened next?” “What work did your board still perform?” “Did the first reporting cycle require corrections?” “What changed when your regular contact was absent?” “Were there services you expected that the agreement did not include?” Ask for a specific example without soliciting private account, employee, or resident information.
Reconcile conflicting answers
If a reference describes a limitation that differs from the interview, ask the candidate for context. The scope, date, or personnel may differ. Record what is established and what remains uncertain rather than turning one anecdote into a company-wide conclusion. Avoid circulating unsupported reputational claims among owners.
End with a verification list
Consolidate the named team, samples reviewed, reference context, and outstanding written answers. Assign a board reviewer to each material gap. The next step is not another unrestricted sales presentation; it is resolving the specific evidence needed for selection. Preserve interview notes alongside the proposal and have consequential contract questions reviewed before committing.